A rocket lands next to a house in the Israeli border town of Sderot on March 21. / Israeli police

by Michele Chabin, Special for USA TODAY

by Michele Chabin, Special for USA TODAY

JERUSALEM -- Palestinians fired two rockets into southern Israel from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip early Thursday morning, the second day of President Obama's three-day visit to Israel and the West Bank.

The rockets, which were fired before Obama left Jerusalem for meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, exploded in Sderot, a town close to the Gaza-Israel border.

One of the rockets hit the backyard of a private home, causing damage but no injuries, said Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. The other landed in an open field. There were reports that two other rockets landed in Gaza.

As a presidential candidate in 2008, Obama visited the border town of Sderot, which is frequently targeted by rocket attacks fired from the Gaza Strip. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Hamas, which the U.S. and European Union designate a terrorist organization, is sworn to Israel's destruction and is opposed to peace talks with Israel. Abbas heads the Palestinian Authority, the internationally recognized Palestinian government in the West Bank.

Terrified residents of southern Israel were awakened by Israel's Code Red air-raid siren system and ran to bomb shelters. It was the second time Palestinian terroristss broke a Hamas-Israel cease-fire brokered by Egypt after heavy cross-border fighting last November.